I know this might be a controversial opinion, but I think it’s something that needs to be addressed in my area. It seems like people around here don’t really care for their cats, and I wonder if some of the ones I see regularly might be part of a feral colony. I’ve seen over 10 different cats on my small property (not all at once), and recently, when the temperature dropped below -20°C (-4°F), I still saw them hiding under cars. One of the cats appeared to be only a few months old, which is heartbreaking. Another cat is missing its tail, and one has a missing ear. The area also has a lot of skunks and raccoons, which can be dangerous, so I’m concerned for their safety. If these cats have homes, they should definitely be in them. But I’m also worried that the city’s solution might be to just put them all down. What are your thoughts?
Update: I’ve done some research and found local groups monitor the feral cat population in the area. I am near a shelter (I didn’t know that) so it’s possible these are shelter cats. I’m just going to work with that shelter to see if thats the case. I have security cam footage of a few of them but not posting pictures for privacy reasons.
Also I’d love to bring them in but I only rent a room here. The owners should prefer I didn’t do that so I need to honor that. However if the local shelter thinks it’s ok I may set a heated cathouse in the back yard.
We foster-adopted a porch kitty. We took him to the vet, scanned his chip and it turns out he’s owned by a house a block away. When we contacted them, they said "Just put him outside. We did, and he was back that afternoon.
Our other cats stay inside. We don’t let them out, but we let Todd out when he wants, and we let him in when he wants.
He’s in my house 90% of the time now that it’s freezing out.
His owners probably haven’t seen him in months, but they know where we live and where to find him, so I don’t think they really care, but technically, we haven’t stolen him.